Seven Days of our Winter
by JoanyChan
Summary: RotBTD. Rapunzel has moved from her small hometown to follow her dreams of becoming an artist. Hiccup studies in college in order to prove himself to his father. Merida wants independence from her rich family. Jack is an ex-orphan now kindergarten teacher. 4 different people living in the same apartment during the winter season of their friendship. Real Life AU.


**Hello there! You can find these drabbles/one shots on Tumblr in celebration of RotBTD week: Winter! Each of the 7 chapters are fics I have written each day according to the themes. Hope you like them!**

**AU: In which the Big Four are in their early 20s and share an apartment in the city. Rapunzel is a small town girl who moved away from home due to a disagreement with her overprotective mother over her decision to be an artist. She now works as a freelance artist. Hiccup is a college student studying mechanical engineering and a self proclaimed inventor. Merida is the heir of a rich Scottish family struggling to make it on her own. Jack is an assistant teacher of a kindergarten class**

* * *

**Falling Hurts**

**Day 1: Ice**

Rapunzel fell for the umpteenth onto the solid, cold ice, this time on her face. From a distance, she could hear the hysteric laughter of a young man.

Hiccup winced. "Ooh….that's got to hurt," he observed, taking a sip of his drink as he and his friend Merida sat on the bench by the ice rink.

"_Not funny_ Jack! Th-thaat a-a-actually hurt!" The blonde yelled between shivers at the tall young man with tousled white hair matching the snow in the park.

Jack stood at the end of the rink, still doubled over in laughter. "Hey, don't get mad at me. Remind me; who was the one who said they didn't need skates again?"

"N-n-no one told me that ice w-w-ould be _this _slippery!"

"Uh, I thought that was common knowledge." Hiccup commented.

"I _h-heard _th-that!"

"Winter's not a thing where she comes from," Merida explained, trying to defend her naive roommate.

Jack dangled a pair of skates playfully from his hand, "Just admit it. You should've taken the skates I gave you from the start. Your weird shoe and sock phobia thing hasn't worked out for you."

"It's _n-n-not _a ph-phobia! I-it's an ar-artistic w-w-way of f-f-feeling the scene-ne-nery! I-i-it he-helps me pa-paint b-better!"

"Sorry, I didn't catch that through all the stuttering." Jack teased.

"Jack, you _jerk_! I hate you!"

At the very center of the rink on a cold night, Rapunzel was stuck. She sat on the ice and shivered, too scared to get up and fall again, but at the moment too stubborn (and angry) at Jack to admit it. Her bare feet were raw and swollen and red. She could hardly feel her butt. For a minute, she actually wished she had never left home, where it was warm.

Merida sensed her friend's fear and frustration. She decided it was time to step in. "Quit it, Jack. Can't ye see she's scared?"

"Yeah, we should help her up." Hiccup stood up.

"What? No way. Punz can do it, right? You're not scared, are you Punz?"

Rapunzel looked up and Jack saw the tears in her large, green eyes.

"See?" Merida reprimanded as she and Hiccup skated towards Rapunzel to help her up.

Jack followed behind them, scratching his head sheepishly. "Uhh…I'm really sorry, Punz. I was just trying to have a little fun. It was kinda funny, wasn't it? I mean, it was kinda like you were from one of those Life Alert commercials. 'Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!' Right?" He joked.

Seeing that his three friends were hardly amused, he sighed and apologized, "Okay, fine. I was a jerk."

"That, was _not _fun," Rapunzel sniffed.

"I know. I know. But at least you can paint that ice skating picture you were commissioned to do, right? Look, I'll make it up to you. Here," he sat down and unlaced his own skates, tossing them over his shoulder.

"Jack, what do ye think yer doin?"

"Yeah, having you incapacitated isn't going to help either." Hiccup tried to reason.

"I'm just trying to learn Punz's ways. Don't worry," Jack said brazenly, taking a step on the ice, "I'm the king of Winter. I won't fa—

He face-planted.

Hiccup and Merida burst into laughter as Jack slipped each time he attempted to stand up.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Okay guys. Joke's on you if you don't help me back up because I'm the ones with the keys to the apartment."

Finally, they decided to offer the barefoot man a hand—only to slip themselves. All four of them landed hard on the cold ice.

It was Rapunzel who broke the silence, suddenly in a fit of giggles. Her smile was contagious and the other four grinned along.

Falling sure did hurt, but at least they had each other to laugh it off.


End file.
